New Teacher on Campus
by Redundantchosen1
Summary: Red receives a call from an old friend for a job. Beacon is where he goes. An adventure far more interesting than any he has had before quickly follows. First story of mine, criticism is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

RWBY

New Teacher on Campus

Red looked out of the window of the hovercraft, adjusting his red plaid hat so that it covered his left eye. _So, this is Beacon. It's a lot bigger than I expected._

Red sighed. An old friend of his had called in a favor. _When he asked me if I wanted a job, this wasn't what I had in mind._ "I guess beggars can't be choosers."

Once the hovercraft landed, Red, wearing a white trench coat, a grey scarf, grey button up shirt and pants, and black formal shoes, saw the friend which had offered him the job in the first place. "Ozpin, this job had better be worth it. You know how much I hate flying. Especially when it's not by my own means."

"Which is exactly how you know that this is of the utmost importance."

Red sighed again. "True. So, what am I going to be teaching?"

Ozpin took a sip from the mug that was ever present with the man. "Well…"

_**Half an hour later**_

Red was rubbing his eyes with two fingers. "So, let me get this straight. You… want _me _to teach… _philosophy_?"

"As surprising as this may sound, not many people think of philosophy as something important."

"Can't say I'm surprised, considering how kids are today."

"So, are you up for it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, no."

Red smiled. "Of course."

"Oh, and, one more thing. You'll be staying in the first year dorm."

"Could you repeat that?"

"I'm afraid so, since I called on such short notice, I couldn't prepare a guest room in time."

Red sighed. "Tell me that I at least have my own privacy."

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Sorry, but it's not like we could build an entire room to yourself."

"Great. So, who am I going to be bunking with?"

"You have two choices. Team RWBY, or team JNPR."

"Can I see the rooms?" Ozpin set the mug down, and pulled out a tablet, with two rooms on the screen. One was somewhat roomy, while the other looked like the occupants had made makeshift bunk beds just for space. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not in the slightest."

_Well, the rooms give off different vibes. The one with barely any room to breathe would suggest that the occupants are close. Then again, having enough room to stand would be nice. _"Hmm. It's not an easy choice. Can you show me the occupants?"

The screen changed, and instead of two rooms, there were now eight students. One in particular caught Red's eye. "Wait, this girl seems a little young to be attending this school."

"Yes, well, let's just say a few strings were pulled."

"Never without reason." _She's either exceptionally gifted, or he owed someone. _Then, Red pointed to another student. "He seems a little harmless."

"Well, he _did _falsify his transcripts just to get into Beacon."

"Hm, he really doesn't look like the type to do something like that. Then again, looks can be deceiving."

Red pointed at another student. "Isn't that girl part of the Schnee family?" Ozpin nodded. Red pointed at another student. "And she… she's a Faunas, isn't she?"

Ozpin blinked. "How did you know that?"

"No ordinary girl would wear a bow that large without a reason. And she doesn't like the kind of girl who would wear a bow in the first place." Red looked over each of the students, making mental notes based on appearance alone. Red pointed to the blonde girl. "She's the only one I can't read. That worries me. Especially since the only other person I couldn't read was Qrow. Wait," Red looked at the youngest among the students, and asked, "She's a relative of Qrow, isn't she?"

"Qrow is her uncle."

"I'm guessing that she's a scythe wielder."

"Second only to her uncle, and you know just how dangerous Qrow is."

"Hm. Seems like I know who I'm bunking with."

"Team RWBY," the four girls that caught Red's attention the most were separated from the other four students, "Or team JNPR?"

"RWBY. There's something about those girls." Then Red sighed. "Looks like I'll have to either sleep on the floor, or outside."

_**Ten minutes later**_

"Students, this will be your new teacher, and roommate."

The four girls looked back and forth from Red to professor Ozpin. The girl with blonde hair spoke first. "Um, I'm sorry if I seem a little rude, but, why does he have to be our roommate?"

Ozpin pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Well, since he arrived on short notice, we couldn't prepare a room for him."

Red coughed. "Trust me, if I could, I would have my own room, away from students, and teachers."

The girl with the bow spoke next. "What exactly is it that you'll be teaching?"

Red rubbed the back of his neck. "Philosophy."

The students stared at Red, then at professor Ozpin, with obvious skepticism on their faces. Ozpin only nodded. Then worry replaced skepticism on the students' faces.

The girl with the red hood spoke next. "You don't seem like the kind of person that would be interested in philosophy."

Red shrugged. "Trust me, looks can be deceiving. I learned that the hard way."

Then, the blonde girl pointed at the hat that covered Red's eye. "What's with the hat?"

Red looked at the girl with his brown eye. "Some questions are better left unanswered."

The girl visibly shivered. Ozpin cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure that you all will be fine if I take my leave." Ozpin turned. "Oh, and, Red?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to scar anyone for life."

"I'll try." Then, Ozpin left. Red clapped his hands. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll go familiarize myself with Beacon."

As Red turned to leave, a hand grabbed hold of the scarf, and yanked him back. "Oh, no you don't. You're not going anywhere when you don't even know our names."

Red sighed. _Great. _"Well, I would love to discuss this, but I really should get a better understanding of this place." Red turned, and looked into the eyes of the girl who hadn't talked during the introduction.

"Not until you tell us what you know about us."

Red's eyes widened, then he grinned. "Well, it looks like I'm not the only person in the room who can read people. Although I'm very surprised, seeing as how I've been trained my entire life to keep the blank mask on."

"Well? What do you know about us?"

Red chuckled. "Very well. I know that you're a Schnee, one who's trying to atone for what your father's done." Then Red pointed at the girl with the bow. "I know that you're a Faunus."

The girl's eyes widened. "How did you…?"

"You _really _don't look like the kind of girl that would wear a bow." Red looked at the girl with the hood. "I know that you're very skilled. Skilled enough that you're accepted into Beacon two years earlier than normal. And that Qrow is you're uncle." Red looked at the blonde girl. "You… I know nothing about you. You're as much of a mystery to me as I am to every one of my friends."

The girl with the hood spoke. "You _really _don't look like the kind of person that would teach philosophy."

"I was surprised myself when Ozpin offered me to teach philosophy. Well, I'll be going now."

Red turned, only to be yanked back again. "You know all that about us, but you don't even know our names."

Red shrugged. "Well, if you would be so kind as to tell me your names, I would greatly appreciate it."

The blonde girl spoke first. "I'm Yang."

The Faunus girl was next. "Blake."

Then the girl with the hood. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."

The girl that yanked Red was last. "I'm Weiss."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet all of you, but I really must be going." Then, before anyone could react, Red walked out of the room.

Only to bump into someone. With a yelp, the person that Red bumped into fell back. Looking down, Red saw a blonde boy. Sighing, Red helped the boy to his feet. All the while, the boy kept apologizing. "Really, I'm very sorry, I-"

Red looked at the boy. "No, it's my fault, really."

It was then that the boy realized that Red wasn't another student. "Hey, I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"I'm the new teacher. Please, call me Red."

"Really? What do you teach?"

"Philosophy."

"You don't look like the kind of person who would teach philosophy."

"I'm getting that a lot lately."

"So, what are you doing in the first year dorm?"

"Well, since I arrived on such short notice, it was either here, or outside."

Then, someone behind the boy spoke. "Jaune, who are you talking to?"

Jaune turned around, "Oh, hey Ren."

Red looked over Jaune, and saw another boy, with black hair, and a purple highlight. Red waved. "Hello."

"Ren, this is the new teacher, Red. He teaches philosophy."

"New teacher?" Ren looked at Red, skepticism clear on his face.

Red nodded. "I came on short notice, so I'll be staying in the first year dorm."

"Uh-huh. Jaune, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Jaune and Ren walked down the hall, out of Red's sight. _Hm, he seems… distant._

After a few moments, the door to Red's right opened. "Hm?"

Red looked at the student. She seemed different. Red opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the girl was asking more questions than Red could answer. After a few minutes of continuous asking, Ren and Jaune saw Red's distress, and Ren spoke. "Nora."

"Oh, sorry."

Red's right eye was twitching. "Thank you. If anyone will need me, I'll be exploring the school. Alone." Then, Red walked past the two boys, exiting the dorm, glad to get some fresh air after his encounter with Nora.

After a few minutes of wandering, Red found a bench, with nobody sitting. Red sat down, sighing. Red leaned back, bringing both arms behind his head. After another few minutes of relaxing, Red heard a voice. "Excuse me, but I don't recall ever seeing you around here." Red straightened, looking at the person who had spoken to him. It wasn't a student.

"Hello. I'm Red, the new teacher. I'll be teaching philosophy."

The teacher who had yet to introduce themselves motioned to an empty spot on the bench. "You wouldn't mind if I sat, would you?"

"Go ahead."

The teacher sat down, glancing at Red. "So, you're the new teacher Ozpin told me about."

"Yep. I'm sure that he'll make an announcement, welcoming my arrival sometime today."

"Oh, I'm sure he will. He isn't the kind of person to let his students in the dark about this sort of thing."

Just then, the voice of professor Ozpin was heard throughout the school. "Attention students, please make your way to the auditorium, thank you."

"Hm, that was fast."

Then, Ozpin's voice was heard again. "That includes you, Red."

Red sighed. "Of course. Quick question, could you tell me where the auditorium is?"

The teacher pointed behind Red.

"Thanks." Then Red snapped his fingers, and in a puff of smoke, disappeared, then reappeared next to Ozpin. "That certainly was faster than I expected Ozpin."

"Well, I'm sure you met a few students already. So, I thought I would get this out of the way."

"Right. Anyway, I'll be heading to the auditorium." But before Red could leave, Ozpin handed him a map.

"Try not to get lost, will you?"

"No promises."


	2. Welcoming Party

**Chapter 2**

**Welcoming Party**

_**8:00 P.M.**_

Red sat on the window sill that he would have to sleep on. Red looked at the night sky, thinking. Red was the only one in the room, which was strange considering the time. _Eh, I'm sure they'll get here soon._

Almost as soon as those words formed in Red's head, he heard the door open. Turning his head toward the door, Red saw Weiss enter the room. Red returned his gaze to the sky. "So, where are the others?"

Weiss sounded annoyed when she answered. "They wouldn't tell me! They just up and left me, so I decided to come back here."

"Hm, sounds heartbreaking."

"You don't even care about how I feel, do you?"

"Not really, no."

"Hmph. When do you start teaching?"

"In about a week or so."

"A week!?"

Red nodded, still looking at the sky. "Ozpin said that it should be enough time for me to get familiar with Beacon. I'm sure that I don't need that much time. And I'm sure that Ozpin knows that too."

"So, how do you and Ozpin know each other?"

"Long story. Let's just say that we've known each other since he was a child."

"Oh. Wait, you said you've known each other since he was a child. Exactly how old are you?"

Red turned, and lifted his hat to the point where Weiss could see his left eye. It was pitch black.

"Trust me, whenever you ask me something personal, you're going to get an answer that may not seem possible. I'm 35,000 years old."

"What!? That's impossible!"

Red adjusted his hat so that it covered his eye again. "Yet it's the truth."

"But…"

Then, Red heard the door open again. Red glanced, and saw Jaune. "Hey, Weiss, I was wondering if-"

"No." The answer had been instant.

"Oh, okay then." Then Jaune left.

"Wow, are you always like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you always so cold?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Red rolled his eyes. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Red kept looking at the sky. "Hey, you ever have the feeling that some things just can't be forgiven, no matter how hard you try?"

"Sometimes."

"Really? Why?"

"I'm sure you've heard my father's reputation."

"Good point."

"Well, I'll be going to sleep now."

"Good night."

Silence. Red glanced at Weiss. Already asleep. Red smiled.

Then, the door opened. Red saw the rest of team RWBY enter. "Hm, I was starting to wonder where you were."

Blake raised a brow. "And why would that be?"

Red shrugged and turned toward the sky once more. "Not really sure. Guess I felt a tad lonely."

"Lonely?"

Red shrugged again. "Everyone feels lonely every now and then. It's part of life. A part that I know all too well."

"Why would that be?"

Red was silent for a while. Then, he looked at the girls. "If I show you, you have to make a promise not to scream." The girls nodded. Red sighed. "Okay then." Slowly, Red brought up his left arm, and rolled the sleeve back. His left arm was covered with pitch black fur. Like the fur of a Beowolf, or an Ursa. "And this thing isn't the worst of it." Closing both eyes, Red removed his hat, and then opened them. Red didn't make eye contact with any of the girls. "These are the reason I've been alone most of my life. The reasons I kept to the shadows. The reasons that when people were in trouble, they didn't know who helped. The reasons I…" Red trailed off, and sighed. "I hope these won't give any of you nightmares." Red rolled his sleeve back up, and put his hat back on. "Now, I'll be getting some sleep." And with that, Red closed his eyes.

Only once throughout the entire night was Red's sleeping disturbed. _Damn birds._

When Red woke up, he saw that the sun was directly overhead. "Noon? I rarely sleep this late. Oh well, I guess I needed the sleep, considering that I haven't slept for more than a couple of hours the past decade." Red stretched as much as the window frame would allow. As much as I would like to sleep a little longer, I really should hurry and explore the school. Suddenly, a face appeared in front of Red's. Red jumped back, but didn't make a noise.

"Uh, hey. So, you're the new teacher? What is it that you'll be teaching?" The face belonged to a boy. Red looked up, and saw the tail that the boy had.

"Yes, I'm the new teacher. And I'll be teaching philosophy."

"Really? You don't look like the kind of person that would teach philosophy."

"I'm getting that a lot lately. So, how did you get up here?"

"I climbed."

Red smiled. "Of course, what did I expect?"

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's with the hat?"

Red sighed. "Long story."

"Oh, well, I'm Sun, nice to meet you, sir."

Red chuckled. "Please, whenever I'm not teaching a class, call me Red."

Sun outstretched his hand, and Red only raised a brow. "Oh, right. I guess it would be kind of hard to shake hands while someone's upside down."

Red moved off of the window sill, and moved so that Sun could leap into the room. They shook hands, and Red looked out of the window. "Hm, well, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. I have a few things that I need to tend to."

Then, Red snapped his fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Red reappeared somewhere in the school where nobody was present. Good.

Then, Red heard a voice behind him. "Still need to find your way around the school, I see." Red turned, and saw Blake.

"Yes. So, why are you here?"

"Oh, just waiting for someone."

"That someone would be me, wouldn't it?" Blake nodded. "So, how did you know I was going to be here?"

Red saw Blake's cat ears twitch. "Call it a hunch."

Red nodded. "Sure. So, why did you want to see me?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Red's eyes narrowed. "About?"

"About last night."

"Ah. So, what do you want to ask?"

"How did you…get like the way you are now?"

"I'm not so sure myself. All I remember is being surrounded by Grimm one day, and being overwhelmed, and losing consciousness, and when I woke up, I was like this. I've been trying to find out what happened ever since. Trying to find a way to fix it, to reverse it."

"How close have you gotten to finding a way?"

Red sighed. "So very close so many times." Red looked at his left arm. "But lately, I've been thinking. Maybe it's supposed to be like this. Maybe there's a reason this happened. Maybe I'm supposed to embrace it. After all, it has made me stronger, and a hell of a lot faster."

"But, what if it's all just a coincidence?"

"Then I don't know." Red sighed again. "You know, I haven't met a single Faunus that didn't have some form of resentment to humans. Do you have any negative feelings for humans?"

Blake looked away. "I would be lying if I said no."

"Hm. Well, I'm sure that you'll always have that feeling. I know I will. You see, Faunus don't have it as bad as I do. Faunus' are their own species. Me, I've become a monster, and even a few Faunus have treated me like one. Most people are afraid of what they don't understand. As for me, well, I try to learn what I can from what I don't understand. That way, I understand it."

"Wait, how can a Faunus treat you like a monster? Wouldn't they know what you were going through?"

"Many things are not as they seem. I mean, look at me. I seem intimidating when you see me, but once you get to know me, I'm not that bad. And I teach philosophy. Would you like to hear a code that I follow very closely?" Blake nodded. "Protect the Innocent, Punish the Wicked, and Fight to the last Breath." Red smiled. "I've followed that code for most of my life. And I don't regret a single moment of following it."

"So, you help those who can't help themselves, and punish those who use their power for their own personal gain?"

Red nodded. "Exactly."

Then, Ozpin's voice was heard throughout the school. "Attention, Red, please report to the Headmaster's office. Thank you."

Red sighed. "I wonder what that could be for. Well, nice talking to you, Blake." Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared in front of Ozpin, sitting at his desk.

"Ah, there you are. Red, how long have we known each other?"

"Ever since you were a child."

"Hm, it feels like it's been longer. No matter, listen; I've had a few… complaints, from a few teachers."

"Is it because I arrived without you telling anyone?"

"Partially, but the other reason is that they don't know if you can handle yourself in a fight. And not just against Grimm."

"And you want me to demonstrate what I can do?"

"Precisely. Now, it's been decided that you need to gather fifteen stingers from Death Stalkers."

"Fifteen? I can get a hundred."

"They don't seem to think so. And after you get the stingers, you will be facing against three of the strongest teachers here. Glynda, Peter, and Bartholomew."

"And how long do I have to get the stingers?"

"An hour."

"That's about six times more than what I need."

"Well, I suggest that you get to it, I can just imagine the look on their faces."

"Oh, you won't imagine for too long." Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Red reappeared in the forest he saw while in the hovercraft. Red also had two swords. One was on his back, and another was on his right hip. Red drew in a deep breath, and smiled. _Today is going to be fun._

After walking for a minute, Red heard a loud snapping noise. Turning, Red saw a Death Stalker. Red grinned. "Come here, time to get put down." The Stalker charged at Red. Red jumped, and grabbed onto the stinger. Using his right hand for stability, Red pulled with his left hand. The stinger popped off almost effortlessly. Red repeated this process fourteen times. In ten minutes, Red had collected fifteen stingers.

Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with the stingers. Red reappeared in Ozpin's office, and laid the fifteen stingers on the table. Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Well, I'll tell the others that you're collected the stingers. Oh, and do try to go easy on them."

Red sighed. "No promises."

_**Five minutes later**_

Red was in an arena, facing three teachers. One man was holding a musket that was also a double headed axe. A woman was holding what looked to Red like a riding crop, and another man was drinking from a canister.

This looked interesting. Ozpin's voice was then heard. "Now, this will be a three on one fight. Red requested a ten on one fight, but I wouldn't want any more of my staff fight him than necessary. On to the rules, Red will not be using any weapons, only his Semblance. Anyone too injured to get up will be counted as defeated, or if your weapon is knocked out of the arena. Good luck you three, you're going to need it. Begin!"

The man with the musket took aim and fired a large ball of fire at Red. Red jumped, and snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappeared behind the man that had fired the shot, and kicked him. Red jumped back as the back swung the weapon. The woman swung the riding crop, and Red felt a force ram him. Red planted a foot, and the force disappeared.

Then, the man that was drinking from the canister changed it into a… Red wasn't sure what the hell he had changed it into. The man ran toward Red with surprising speed, and swung the weapon, which Red blocked. Red swept the man's legs from beneath him, and kicked the man in the stomach as he fell, knocking him toward the woman. She waved her weapon, and the man stopped midair, and landed on his feet. He shook his head, and was about to charge again, when the woman stepped in front of him, and began walking toward Red.

Red grinned. The woman waved her weapon, and Red felt the force again. It pushed Red back a few meters, and then disappeared. Red snapped his fingers, and was behind the woman, and swung with his left arm. The woman ducked, and jabbed her weapon into Red's stomach. Red was thrown back ten meters, and landed on his back. Red drew a breath, and got up.

The man with the musket fired again, and Red dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the flames. Red snapped his fingers, and kicked the man in the back.

When he swung his weapon, Red ducked, and punched the man in the stomach with his left arm, causing the man to sail away. Then, Red felt the force ram his back. Red snapped his fingers, and kicked the woman in the stomach. Then, the man with the weapon that Red didn't know the purpose of swung it down on Red. Red grabbed the weapon, and yanked it out of the man's grip, and threw it out of the arena. There was a loud buzz and the man ran and dove off of the arena, and retrieved his weapon. The man with the musket fired at Red again, this time, Red didn't get out of the way. Instead, he brought up his left arm, and hit it back at the man. The man dived out of the way, and Red felt something jab him in the back. Then Red brought a foot down, the floor cracking. Another fireball was flying toward Red, and Red hit it again, this time, the fireball erupting. Flames danced across the floor. Red took a deep breath, and snapped his fingers. Then, he punched the man in the stomach, knocking him out of the arena. Red turned, and watched the woman stand up. Red smiled, and winked. Then, Red began to run toward the woman. She waved her weapon, and Red felt the force push against him.

Then, Red swung at the force. He could hear a crack. And he saw a visible crack in the exact same place where he felt the force_. So, her weapon focuses her aura and discharges it at a single area._ Red grinned, and put more force into his swing. The force disappeared immediately. Red kept running, grinning. The woman waved her weapon again, and Red jumped. He felt no force against him. _Just as I thought._

Red was above the woman now, and he swung with his left arm. The woman waved her weapon one more time, and Red felt more force than he expected. He put more power into his swing, but it was met with more resistance. The amount of aura pushing against his arm was enough to rip at the clothing on his arm, revealing the hair. Red grinned.

The woman didn't even react to his arm. Red put as much power into the punch as he could. This time, he saw the woman stagger back, he weapon still pointing at Red. Cracks began to form in the air. _Time to break through!_

Red let out a short bark of a laugh. And the cracks in the air grew. Then, they shattered. The woman fell back, her weapon sailing across and out of the arena. Red couldn't pull back the punch.

But he could still change where it would land.

Once his fist connected with the floor, cracks erupted, and dust enveloped the two. The woman opened her eyes, and saw Red, his faces only inches away from hers. "Hello." As soon as the word left Red's mouth, he was slapped across the face. Red took a step back, surprised. He looked at the woman with disbelief, along with everyone present. "What was that for?" Red's voice had no anger in it, only confusion. The woman only stood up, dusted herself off, and stormed off. Red looked at the other two teachers. "What the hell did I do?" They only looked at the woman in worry. Ozpin came forward.

"Well, that certainly was…interesting. "

"Seriously, what did I do?"


	3. It's Better Not to Ask

Chapter 3

It's Better Not to Ask

Ten minutes later

Red was sitting in the window sill again, looking at the sky. He sighed, and looked at his left arm. His trench coat was still in the process of repairing itself. He looked to the girls that were staring at the arm. "So, any questions?"

Yang raised her hand. "What happened?"

Red rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I kinda had a fight with three of the strongest teachers in the school."

"What!?" All the girls had shouted.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Although I do have to admit, they were pretty good. Especially that Glynda woman."

Everyone's eyes widened. Then, Blake spoke. "Wait, Glynda Goodwitch?"

Red nodded. "That's the one."

"I was wondering who had slapped you."

Red rubbed the side of his face which had been slapped. "Is it still there?" The girls nodded. Red sighed. "Eh, I'm sure it'll go away in a couple of minutes."

"Actually, I think that it looks even worse than when you came in here."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Red closed his eyes for a few seconds. "You ever get the feeling that someone hurt you because they care for you?"

Silence. Red opened his eyes, and focused on the clouds. "Just me? Huh, I guess I'm just weird like that." Red looked at his arm. _It's at times like these that I wish I could get the repairing process to speed up._

Then, the door opened, and Red turned to see Jaune enter. "Hey, Red, I know you just got back from whatever it was that you were doing, but I need your help with something."

Red sighed. "Sure, what is it?"

"You know Cardin?" Red blinked. "Leader of team CRDL?"

"Not ringing any bells."

Jaune sighed. "The school bully."

"Oh, him. What about him?"

"Well, I kinda, sort of, humiliated him in front of almost the entire school."

Red rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger. "And how, may I ask, did you do that?"

"Uh, well, you see, that is a very good question…"

Then, Red heard the yell of Cardin. "Where is he!?"

Red sighed. "Jaune, I've only known you for a day and I can already tell that this is going to become a regular thing."

"What is?"

"Me having to save your sorry ass." Red moved to his feet, walked past his roommates, Jaune, and saw someone he never met before. And Red could hardly hold in his laughs. The student was covered from head to toe in flour, and syrup, and chocolate. "Wow, Jaune, I cannot believe this. That is the single most hilarious sight I have ever seen in my life."

"Yeah, well, I don't think that Cardin thinks that it's funny."

"Oh, don't worry about him, Jaune." Red patted Jaune on the shoulder, sending the poor boy staggering. Red calmly walked over to the best sight Red had seen on centuries. "Hello. I'm assuming that you're Cardin."

The boy that was in various kitchen ingredients sneered. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm the new teacher, Red."

"Yeah, whatever, look, do you know where the idiot who did this to me is?"

"I can't say that I do, considering that I don't know who did caused you much humiliation."

"Jaune Arc. Do you know where he is?"

"Well, I'm afraid that I don't know for sure, although, last I heard, he was off to go train. When I see Mister Arc, I'll be sure to let you know." Red patted the bully on the shoulder, "Trust me, Mister Arc will get what he deserves." And with that, the bully turned around, and stormed off. Red turned around, and smiled at the shocked Jaune. "And that, my friend, is how you deal with someone the intelligent way. False promises and lies aren't always bad."

"Wow, I've never seen anyone lie to Cardin and get away with it before."

"Just be glad that I'm taller than him, or he would have seen you, and then I would have had to injure the bastard." The smile on Red's face didn't match his words at all.

"Yeah, remind me to never make you angry."

"You would indeed have a longer life span if you didn't. Well, I'll be off now."

"Wait, where are you going?"

Red shrugged. "Somewhere that isn't here. I only have six days before I begin teaching. And I plan on knowing this place inside and out." Then Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Red reappeared in Ozpin's office. Ozpin was sitting in his chair, mug in hand, and glance at Red. "I take it that you've run out of things to do?"

Red nodded. "Either I talk to you, or I talk to the students. And I'd rather not scar the students for the rest of their lives."

"Ah. So, you're going to ask me for something to do, am I right?"

"Yep."

"Very well. Talk to your roommates."

"I just told you that I didn't want to scar them."

"Yes, well, I'm sure that they can handle knowing your past."

Red sighed. "You're really making this difficult for me, you know." Without another word, Red snapped his fingers.

When he reappeared on the window sill, looking at the sky, he heard three shrieks at the same time. Red sighed. "I'm going to take a guess and say that you're all changing. Please tell me I'm wrong." Silence. "I hate being right." Just when I thought that this couldn't get any more awkward.

After a few minutes of the most awkward silence Red felt in his life, he heard the door open and close. _Hopefully…_ "Red?" _Son of a bitch._

"Yes, Blake?"

"I want your advice on something."

Red raised a brow in Blake's direction. "And what would that be?"

Red heard Blake take a breath. "Exactly… How do you know if you're in love?"

Red sighed. "That is a surprisingly deep question. Well, if you worry for the wellbeing of the one that you love, and you are willing to make large sacrifices, then, without a doubt, you would be in love." Red then smiles. "Oh, the many times that I've been in love." Red then sighs again. "But, given my… Affliction, I'm sure that I won't be in a relationship for a while."

"I don't see why that would matter."

"I didn't think you would, considering you somewhat understand what I have to go through." Red looked at his arm again. The material that made his coat was nearly finished repairing itself. "Although, with the voices, it's getting tiring to find a way to reverse it."

"Voices?"

Red blinked. "Ah, hell, did I say that out loud?" Red looked at Blake, hoping he had kept his mouth shut.

"Yes, you did. Now, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to hear an explanation for the voices."

"They started as soon as I woke up with the arm. And they only stop when I sleep. And that's very difficult, considering that all they do is yell at me, telling me to just kill something, anything. As long as I kill, then they would be satisfied. I'm not going to let that happen. Never again."

"Again?"

Red closed his eyes, and let the tears form. But he knew that they would never fall. "Did you know that I let myself succumb to the voices? I passed out, and when I woke up, everything within a three mile radius was nothing but rubble and ash. I was in a city. The city was never spoken of again in history. The excuse was that a dust factory caused it. I know for a fact that dust comes nowhere near that level of destruction." Red sighed again. "From that day on, I promised myself to never be tempted into the voices again. Until recently. It's just becoming so hard to keep myself restrained. I've been losing sleep, and the voices get louder each minute. The only way to satisfy the voices is to take thousands of lives at a time."

Then, Red felt Blake wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug. "I can't possibly know the pain you're going through. But I can help ease it."

Red sighed. "Trust me, if you were to experience the pain I feel for even a second, I'm sure that you would break down. Hell, anyone would break down. Another reason I haven't let anyone get close to me. I don't want anyone coming even close to knowing the pain I go through, no matter who it is."

"People are stronger than you think."

Red smiled. "I know exactly how strong a person can be just by looking at them. I can't know how strong they are at the time I see their potential, but it's still better than being completely clueless. The person with the strongest potential is, surprisingly, Jaune."

"Wait, Jaune? Jaune Arc?"

"As surprising as it sounds, he has the most potential. It scares me a little. At his full strength, he would give even me a challenge, and my victory wouldn't be guaranteed."

"That's…frightening, considering you beat three of the strongest teachers here."

"What's scarier was that I didn't even use my weapons to beat them." Red looked at the sky in thought. "Hm… I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

Red smirked. "Oh, nothing really. Just curious about how you would look without that ribbon, is all." Then Red smiled. "Oh, I have a question."

"What is it?"

Red grinned, before pulling out Blake's copy of 'Ninjas of Love'. "Care to explain what this is?"

Blake's eyes widened. "W-where did you get that!?" Blake reached for the book, only for Red to hold it out past the window.

"I could ask you the same thing. I mean, really, where would one go to find and purchase such smut as this?"

"It's not smut, it's…"

"Oh, if it isn't smut, then mind telling me what I should call this?"

"Art, of course!"

Red raised a brow. "Art? I don't know. Maybe I should read a few pages to truly appreciate its beauty."

Blake's eyes widened even further. "N-no!"

"Oh? I thought that this was art. And I'm sure that art should be shared." Red cracked open the book to a random page, and cleared his throat to begin reading the book aloud. But before he could, a hand snatched the book away from him. Red looked up, and saw Sun, looking at the cover of the book. "Uh, Sun, would you mind giving that back? I was kind of planning on reading it."

"Really? I didn't think of you as the sappy romance type."

"Yes well, we all have traits that I'm sure no one would even think possible."

Sun tilted his head back in thought. "Huh…" Sun absent-mindedly dropped the book back into Red's hand. "Anyway, I'll see you two later." And with that, Sun disappeared.

Red raised a brow. "I don't think I will ever understand that man."

At that moment, while Red was distracted, Blake yanked the book from his hands. Then she muttered something under her breath.

"Anyway, I'll take a nap, considering I have nothing better to do." Red got as comfortable as he could on the window sill, and closed his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to sleep there?"

"As much as I would enjoy sleeping in an actual bed, I'm sure I don't really have a say in the matter."

"You could sleep in my bed."

Red opened an eye, and glanced at the beds. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I think I'd rather sleep on something more… solid." And with that, Red closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.


	4. Not Much Sleeping This Night

Chapter 4

Not Much Sleeping This Night

Red woke up, and saw that he wasn't on the window sill. He was in a forest. A dark forest.

"Where the hell...?" Red muttered as he looked at his surroundings. "Wonder who brought me here, and why."

"Well, you're going to stop wondering about half of those things."

Red turned, and his eyes glowed with amusement for half a second. "Cinder Fall. What the hell are you doing? The last time I heard your name, it had something to do with the whole 'Breach' incident."

Cinder frowned. "I assure you; I had nothing to do with that."

"I think that you're lying. Not that it matters now. What do you want from me?"

"I have a favor you still owe me."

Red sighed. "What is it this time?"

"I want someone dead."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not doing it. I won't kill anyone you want dead. You'll have to take their lives yourself."

"Hmph, fine. At least gather some intelligence on them for me."

"That's the most I can do. Who is it?"

"A girl by the name of Ruby Rose."

Red's eyes widened, then they narrowed. "No. You find your own goddamn spy. I'm her teacher, roommate, and her friend. There's no way in hell that I'll tell you what I know about her."

Cinder frowned. "Fine. Have it your way." Then, Cinder disappeared through the shadows of the forest.

At that same moment, a Death Stalker caught Red's attention. "Shit."

Then, the large Grimm noticed Red. Its stinger lashed out, and Red caught it in his left hand, then ripped it off of the Grimm's tail. "Nice try, fucker."

Red jumped, and smashed the stinger into the Grimm's head. "Well, that's that done." Red dusted his hands off. Then he noticed the hundreds of Beowolves, Ursai, dozens of Death Stalkers, and ten King Taijitus. "And that is one hell of a problem." Then, Red saw the Goliath. It towered over even the King Taijitus. "That is a very big problem."

Then, like a spark finding its way to a forest full of dry and dead trees, memories of the last time something like this happened assaulted his mind. But as soon as those memories began to surface, he shook his head, clearing his mind. _Dammit, I can't lose focus. That's the exact same thing that cost me my arm. I'm going to be damned if I left that happen again._

As the Beowolves and Ursai rushed Red, he unsheathed the sword from his back, closing his eyes. Never again. As the first Beowolf reached him, Red beheaded it, cleaving the next one to reach him in two. Red kept on like this for an hour, and by then he was breathing heavily, sword dragging on the ground. _D-dammit, I can't let it happened again._ I won't let it happen again. Red grinned. _About fucking time to show these bastards Redemption's ability. _Red brought the sword up, the black blade completely still. Then, Red's eyes snapped open, and he swung the sword in an overhead swing. And a crescent blade of pure black aura cut through a large portion of the Grimm.

Then the Goliath reached him. S-shit. That drained too much of my aura for me to fight anymore. Fuck, everything's going black. Looks like I'm still too weak, to even save myself. Then, Red lost consciousness.

Red woke with a start. "Ugh, where…" Then Red remembered. "No… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Red slowly brought his right arm up, and rolled his sleeve back. It was now the exact same as his left arm. "Oh god, no. This can't be happening. This has to be a nightmare." Then, Red's eyes filled with tears. "I'm becoming one of them. I…" Red's voice trailed off as his mind fully processed his situation. "I can't keep this a secret. I have to tell Ozpin." _If I don't, then I might end up killing everyone._

Red's breathing was nearly forced. "Someone…anyone…help." Then, Red lost consciousness once again.

Red woke in a bed. Red tried to sit up, but found that he was too tired to do so. Red groaned. Then, he heard a voice that was very familiar. "Oh, you're awake. Good."

Red turned his head, and, even though his vision was blurred, saw Ozpin. "Ugh, where am I?"

"Right now, you're in the infirmary at Beacon."

"Oh. Why do I feel like shit?"

"That might have something to do with the medication you're on right now."

"Ah. That would also explain the reason why I can't see anything in clarity."

"Red, what happened?"

"It happened again. I'm sure you saw my arm." Red smiled sadly. "If only immortality wasn't one of my traits. Then I'm sure the answer to this problem would be simple."

"Red…"

"But no, I just had to have accepted the offer so long ago."

"Red."

"Huh? I'm sorry, did you say something? I can't hear that well right now."

"Red, I know about your arm, and I know we can't kill you. But we can help you control it."

As soon as the words left Ozpin's mouth, Red began to laugh. At first like it was actually a joke, then it slowly began to descend into a disturbing, maniacal laugh. "What makes you think I can control it? I could barely keep myself in line with just one arm like this. There's no way I can keep control now." Then Red began to laugh maniacally again.

"But what if the voices cancelled each other out?"

Red stopped laughing immediately. "W-what?"

"I can't say for sure, but once the medication wears off, I'm sure that everything will actually be quiet for once."

Red realized that he couldn't hear the voices. "It's actually quiet for a change. I'm too tired to care. I'll go back to sleep. Whatever I'm on right now is hurting my head." Then, Red fell asleep.

"Ugh…" Red woke up with a headache. Opening his eyes, Red saw four familiar faces. "Oh, hey, I'm guessing that you were kind of worried about me." Red smiled. _Damn, it's good seeing friends care about me._ Then, Yang smacked Red upside the head. "Hey! What the hell was that for?"

Yang smirked. "For making us worry about you."

Red chuckled. "Of course. What else would it be for?" Red sighed. "Well, at least I'm alive, and that counts for something, right?" Red sat up, despite the groaning protest of his body. "So, anything interesting happen while I was in a coma?"

Everyone smiled at his joke. "Not really," Ruby answered.

"What we really want to know is what exactly happened to you." Weiss looked into Red's eyes, causing him to shiver.

"Well…" Red hesitated, then sighed. "I may or may not have tried to kill the Grimm equivalent of an army."

"You did _what!?_" The four shouted.

Red shrugged, with a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, you see, I was kinda…how do I put this? I woke up in the forest. No way in hell that I would have intentionally done this."

After taking a while to convince his roommates and soon-to-be students that he had no choice in the matter of facing the Grimm, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby left.

Red sighed. "I know I could have gotten away. I just didn't think it was possible for history to repeat itself on this one. I just wish I wasn't so _stupid._"

"Red…"

"No, I have to get this off my chest. I was in the exact same situation I was before, and did I do the smart thing and get out of there? No, I tried to take on hundreds of Grimm, like I was invincible!" Red buried his face in his hands, his hat falling off.

"Red, it's not your fault."

Red chuckled, his face still in his hands. "We both know that's not true."

Then, Red felt Blake slap him across the face. "Red, just shut up for five seconds." Red nodded, rubbing his face. "How old were you when this first happened?"

"Around your age. But I don't see what that has to do with anything." Red reached for his hat, when he noticed Blake was staring at his eyes. "What?"

"Your left eye. I think it's back to normal."

"Huh, really? Well, that sure is surprising. Guess becoming a monster isn't all that bad." Red looked at his hands. _It's so much quieter without the voices. It's peaceful._

"Red, how old are you?"

"35,000 years old."

"Hm."

"You seem to be taking this rather well. Most people either don't believe me, or ask me how it's possible."

"I was wondering that."

"It's thanks to my Semblance. By manipulating my body into smoke, and being able to reform it back to normal, I'm able to form my body at any age I choose."

"Hm, and what age do you normally reform to?"

"Twenty-eight. When I was at my top physical condition." Red smiled at the memories. "Ah, those were some of my best years in life. Just me and my friends, all of us as Huntsmen and Huntresses, and yes, there were Hunters that far back in history. We were damn near invincible. Armies of Grimm couldn't take us down. Until…" Red fell silent, then sighed. "Never mind. I don't want to keep you here, listening to the ramblings of some man."

Blake sat at the edge of the bed Red was lying in. "Believe me, I have the time."

Red sighed. "Very well. It began like an ordinary day. Me, Night, Lilly, and the whole gang. We were training, like we did every day, when the largest amount of Grimm I have seen in my entire life came down on us. There must have been thousands." Red looked at the ceiling. "And we took out a pretty large chunk of them. But we didn't kill them all. Eventually, we all collapsed. Then I saw my friends get murdered in front of me. Each and every one of them. And then I snapped. It was the first time I gave in to the temptation. And, to be honest with you, I felt alive. Just lashing out at the Grimm felt so damn _natural. _Eventually I completely lost myself into the killing. When I came back to my senses, I was covered in blood, both my own and that of the Grimm. After that, I sort of wandered from town to town, city to city, kingdom to kingdom.

"Eventually, I met a few people with the same last names as some of the people I know now."

"And who would those people be?"

"Scarlet Rose, Kin Xiao Long, William Schnee, and Darcy Belladonna."

"Wait…"

Red nodded. "The ancestors of team RWBY. I was surprised to find the family bloodlines still going strong." Then, Red looked into Blake's eyes. "You're a lot like her, you know that?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"She was a Faunus, she was quiet, she was _very _dangerous, and she was very curious about me."

"Hm…"

Red smiled. "And she would fight to her last breath if it meant ensuring her friends safety."


	5. A Pleasant Afternoon

** A/N: I Have the distinct feeling that this chapter is going to get a lot of mixed feelings**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

A Pleasant Afternoon

_**Thirty minutes later**_

Red sat on the window sill, looking at the sky. _Man, I need a new hobby._

"Red, I have a few questions to ask." Yang told Red.

"Ask away."

"Why are you so quiet all the time?"

"I'm not very good at making conversations."

"Hm. How do you know Ozpin?"

"Well, we've known each other since he was a child."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly as it sounds."

"Okay then. Why are you always looking at the sky when you're not doing anything?"

"It helps me think."

"What about?"

"My life, the things I could have done, the things I did instead. A lot of things."

"Sounds kinda depressing."

"It can be, if you're the happy-go-lucky kind of person."

"What kind of weapons do you use?"

Red didn't answer for a few seconds. "Twin swords."

"What are their names?"

"Dark Redemption and Forsaken Light."

"They sound…intimidating."

"They might be, considering the stone that they're made of."

"Wait, your weapons are made of _stone?_"

"Yes, but it was a stone that not even the strongest of Grimm could even scratch. Indestructible stuff. And they have certain properties involving aura. Redemption can create crescent blades of aura that can be launched at my enemies. Forsaken creates a dome of aura, protecting me from a _lot _of damage."

"That sounds awesome!"

"Well, they _have _gotten me out of some pretty nasty situations in the past."

"How bad were those situations?"

"Well, on a scale of one-to-ten, I'd say… pretty damn hopeless."

"Wow. They must be really helpful."

"Yep."

"What exactly is your Semblance?"

"The ability to manipulate my body into smoke, and being able to form back to normal."

"And exactly how old are you?"

"Thirty-five thousand years old."

"Oh, okay."

"Wait, no questions about how? Not even going to question the possibility of it?"

"Nope."

"Huh. That's surprising."

"Why?"

"Well, out of everybody, I was expecting you to be the hardest to convince of my age."

"Oh. Well, I should get going."

"Right. See you later." Red heard the door open and close. _That was…interesting._

Then, Red heard a knock on the door. Red answered, "It's just me in here."

Red then heard Jaune's slightly muffled voice. "Oh, Red. Mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

Red sighed, then walked over to the door, and opened it. "Jaune, I swear, if you managed to piss Cardin off again so soon. What is it?"

"I need your help with something."

"If it's about-"

"I keep trying to ask Weiss on a date, but she guns me down before I can even get the words out of my mouth. Any way you could convince her to give me a chance?"

Red sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "Jaune, you owe me one for this. Don't forget that."

Jaune then began to grin from ear to ear. "Thanks! I promise I'll pay you back for this!" Then, Jaune disappeared from Red's sight.

Red sighed again. "That boy really is something else." Then he closed the door.

_**Another thirty minutes later**_

Red was woken from his sleep on the window sill when he heard the door slam shut. Red jumped a bit, then looked to the person who had disturbed his sleep. "Blake? What's wrong with you? You look terrible."

Blake's eyes were filled with fear, worry, and something else Red couldn't quite put his finger on. "Red, I need your help with something."

"What would that-" Red's eyes widened when he caught a whiff of something very familiar and _very _arousing. "B-Blake, you wouldn't happen to be in heat, would you?" Blake nodded furiously. "Oh. Well, this does propose a problem." Red sighed, then sat on one of the beds in the room, patting the spot next to him. "Blake, take a seat." Blake did as she was told, and sat next to Red. The smell was much, _much _stronger now, and Red was having a hard time focusing. "Well, the way I see it; there are two solutions to this problem. The first solution; you could…satisfy…your desires. The second solution; you would have to wait it out, and face hell. And seeing as how you're at Beacon, I don't think the first solution would be easy to accomplish. And I'm sure that you don't want to go through the hell of…well, I'm sure you don't want to go through that."

"Then what do I do!?" Blake practically yelled, clasping a hand over her mouth.

Red began to blush, the smell beginning to get to his head. "Well…" Red began to rub the back of his neck. "We could…you know…"

Blake's eyes widened, "What!? No! We couldn't! I mean, you're a teacher, and you're so old-"

"Hey!"

"-And you're so…attractive, and caring… and kind...oh to hell with it!" Blake pounced on Red, the two kissing passionately.

Then, Red broke the kiss. "Did you lock the door?"

Blake's eyes widened yet again. "No."

Red sighed. "Let's hope nobody walks in." _Good god, I am going straight to hell for this. _Then the two went back to making out. Then they heard the door open.

"Red, about that thing you- Oh…"

Red moved his head to look over Blake's shoulder. "Hey Jaune. You know, I would say that this isn't what it looks like, but I would be lying."

"Oh. Well, I'm going to go now."

Before Jaune had the chance to close the door though, Red asked. "Hey Jaune, be a pal and don't tell anyone, okay?"

"These lips are sealed."

"Thanks, guess this makes us even now." Then Red looked into Blake's eyes. "Now, where were we again?" Blake and Red locked lips once more. _It's been too long since I felt this._

Then, Red felt Blake's tongue push past his lips. Red's hands began to roam Blake's body, and he heard her moan. _Looks like I still have the magic hands. _The next half hour was a blur for Red. He remembered moaning, lots of it, and pleasure. When Red was able to tell up from down, Blake was in his arms, fast asleep. The pair had the foresight to at least cover themselves up with the blankets on the bed.

Then, Red heard the door open, then a gasp. Red looked away from Blake's sleeping figure, to the one that had unexpectedly walked in on them. "Hey Ruby."

"Wha…but…you…she…what?"

Red sighed. "Ruby…this is exactly what it looks like."

Fate then decided that this was the perfect time for Yang to walk in. "What's exactly what it…oh. Well, this is awkward."

Red chuckled. "At least you're not naked."

"Would it make it less awkward for you if I was?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Oh, okay then."

"I…they…what?" Ruby was still mumbling nonsense to herself.

"Uh, Yang, I think I broke your sister."

"Eh, she'll be fine, just give her a few minutes."

"How can you be sure?"

"This was her reaction when she saw me sleeping with someone."

Red blinked. "Okay, I did not need to know that."

_**Yet another thirty minutes later  
><strong>_

Red was looking at the sky again. _Okay, I need to do something. This cannot be healthy for my mind. _Red snapped his fingers, and appeared in Ozpin's office in a puff of smoke. "Ozpin, I'll be going to the Emerald forest for a while. I'll let you know how many I kill." Then Red snapped his fingers again.

Red began to walk through the forest, taking deep breaths through his nose. _Wow, who would have thought being part Grimm would really enhance your senses?_

Red could smell the Grimm. They were close. Close enough that he could hear them. Red smiled, and began to think as negatively as he could. After a few minutes, he heard them get closer. Then, he could see them.

The first one to attack was behind him. As it leaped into the air, ready to kill him, Red turned, and punched it in the face, breaking the mask of bone on its face, blood spraying into the air. Then the rest of the pack charged Red. Grinning like a maniac, Red beat each of the Grimm individually, blood splattering onto his clothes. _God, this is fun._

Soon enough, more Grimm began to make their way to Red, who was still beating Beowolves to death with a single punch. Then, Red felt a something sink into his skin and make its way down his back. The pain was excruciating. But it was nothing compared to the glee that he felt.

_Pain. _Red bashed the brains of another Beowolf, which managed to rip its claws into his chest. _Pain. _Then, an Ursa swatted Red into a tree, and he heard at least three of his ribs snap. _Pain. _Red coughed up blood as he fell to the ground. _My god, this is the best pain I've felt in my entire life! _Then, Red began to laugh. It started as a chuckle, then progressed into maniacal cackling. Red's eyes began to turn the same color as the Grimm's he faced. _Kill. _Red's hand flew up to his eyes. "No…" Red's eyes stopped. "I won't become them." Then, his eyes quickly changed back to their normal brown. Red stood up, blood pouring out through his wounds. "Alright, let's finish this up." Red looked at each Grimm, and smiled. Then, he proceeded to rip their spines out.

Snapping his fingers, Red reappeared in Ozpin's office. "Red, what the hell happened to you?"

Red shrugged. "Kinda lost control for a few seconds. Broke a few ribs, and got a couple of nasty gashes."

"You should get your attire cleaned. I don't think that people will find someone covered in blood a pleasant sight."

"Yeah. Well, it _can _clean itself; it'll just take a while."

"Just try to stay out of sight."

"No promises." Then Red snapped his fingers.


	6. No Promises

Chapter 6

No Promises

Red reappeared in a dark alley in Vale. _Nobody's seen me yet. Key word here is 'yet'. _Red looked at his clothes. They were soaked with blood, both his and that of the Grimm. His coat was torn in the chest area, and was nearly ripped in half at the back. Red sighed. "This is going to take at least a few minutes for it to fix itself."

Red sighed again, then looked for a place where he could sleep. "Hello!" A voice from behind Red made him jump.

Red turned, and saw a girl. "Jeez, don't scare someone like that. Nearly gave me a heart attack." _Strange, her eyes seem…off. _Red mentally waved away the thought. "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Penny, sorry for scaring you."

"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to people being able to sneak up on me." Red leaned in to get a closer look at Penny's features. "Strange, your aura feels…different. Almost as if…" Red shook his head. "I must be paranoid. My name's Red, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Red. If you don't mind me asking, why are you covered in Grimm blood?"

Red's eyes widened. "How did you…ugh, that's not important. To answer your question, I was fighting a pack of Beowolves, and when I fight against the Grimm, this is usually the end result. But don't worry about that, it'll thin out in a few minutes."

"But, won't it stain your coat?"

"Nope. Trust me; I've had this thing for a long time. Even if this thing is ripped to shreds, it'll find a way to mend itself." Red looked down, and saw that the tear in the chest was completely fixed.

"How is that possible?"

Red scratched the back of his head, the blood in his coat beginning to evaporate, the mist rising off of the cloth ominously. "Well, I have my Semblance to thank for that. When I first used it, I was wearing this exact coat, and I guess it absorbed a small portion of my ability."

"What is your Semblance?"

Red grinned. "I'm able to manipulate my body into smoke, and reform into my original state."

Penny watched the mist dissipate. "Wow…"

Red turned his head to get a look at the back of his coat and saw that it was still in the process of repairing itself. "Yep, I was amazed the first time it happened."

"But how would it contain a part of your ability?"

Red rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I may be able to manipulate a select few things, besides myself, into smoke. And I may or may not have turned an entire mountain into smoke when I discovered my Semblance."

"You can turn other things into smoke?"

"Only fire, water, and earth. Other than that, my Semblance has no effect on it." Red looked up, into the sky. _Strange, I can sense Grimm close by. Somewhere near the edges of Vale. _Red mentally shook his head. "Well, I should get going. And I'm sure that you have somewhere to be." Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Red reappeared in Ozpin's office. "Ah, Red, just the person I wanted to see."

Red raised a brow. "What happened?"

"I'll keep this simple. There's been a disturbance on the edge of Vale. An attack, to be exact."

"What kind of attack?"

"Lately, there have only been two kinds of attacks. Those that involve the White Fang, or those that involve the Grimm."

"And since there haven't been any explosions, I'm going to venture a guess that it involves the Grimm?"

"That would be correct, yes."

"Investigation or Grimm killing first?"

"Investigate. There shouldn't have been any reasons for this to happen in the first place."

"Alright then. Where exactly did this happen?"

"The southernmost edge of Vale."

"I'll let you know what I find." Red snapped his fingers, and reappeared in a crowded street. No one even noticed his abrupt appearance. They were all too focused on the destroyed doorway. _What the hell? How could this have happened here? In broad daylight? _Red shook his head, then began to move toward the doorway.

A hand held Red back from moving forward. Red followed the hand to see someone he wished he hadn't.

"Cinder, what the hell are you doing here? What did you do?"

Cinder held her hands up in an innocent manner. "Me? I just got here, same as you."

Red scoffed. "And why should I believe you?"

"Because, if I had anything to do with this, I wouldn't be here right now."

Red sighed. "Good point. So, any ideas on what happened here?"

"None."

Red looked to the doorway again. "I'm guessing that whatever happened in there, it's pretty bad."

"What makes you say that?"

"The fact that an officer looks like he's about to lose his lunch." Red pointed to the officer that was bent over, and taking deep breathes. "And he looks like he's seen some pretty nasty things."

Then Red resumed walking, past the officer waving weakly, and into the house. As soon as he entered, he smelled the awful stench of decaying flesh. _Oh god, there's only been one other time where I've smelled this. _Red brought his scarf over his nose. As he walked throughout the house, he saw that each wall was splattered with blood. Then, making his way to the living room, he saw the bodies. Red's stomach heaved. _Dear god. _The bodies had chunks of flesh missing, and he could see organs beginning to slip out of the wounds. Red swallowed the bile that was slowly crawling at the back of his throat. Red turned and jogged out of the house.

Snapping his fingers, Red reappeared in Ozpins office. "Ozpin, where's the nearest trash can?"

Ozpin pointed to the one near the elevator. "Right there, why?"

Red sprinted to the trash, and spilled the contents of his stomach into it. "That's why…" Red muttered, wiping his mouth.

"Good lord, what the hell happened?"

"Trust me; you _do not _want to know."

"That bad?"

"Worse. Ozpin, when I got there, my head was pounding. That only happens when Grimm are near in _large _numbers."

"What do you mean?"

"There must have been thousands close enough for me to sense. And that was just instinct. I pray to whatever deity that exists that they don't get past Vale's defenses."

"We have to prepare for this."

"How?"

"We need Ironwood's troops."

"No, we need to evacuate as soon as we can, then, and _only then, _can we even think of which troops to deploy."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Talk to the Council. They'll listen."

"They won't. Not anymore."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"After the breach that happened recently, I doubt that they'll listen to me."

"There was a breach recently? How?"

"The White Fang, along with a man by the name of Roman Torchwick."

"Roman Torchwick? Dressed all fancily, wears a stupid hat, and has his hair covering his right eye?"

"That matched him appearance perfectly."

"Son of a bitch. Anyone else?"

"None that we know of."

"Dammit. Wherever Roman is, Neo is bound to be close."

"Neo?"

"His bodyguard. She is one of the more dangerous people I've met. And she's a mute."

"Hm, she sounds lovely."

"Once you learn sign language, she's actually really sweet. Well, aside from the occasional appearing out of literally nowhere."

"What?"

"She's able to completely drag you into her own little world. Literally. If she feels like it, she can make an illusion where you're being dragged into an endless void. Not a nice feeling, I'll tell you that. And another thing- wait, I'm rambling."

"Quite."

"Anyway, long story short, do _not _fuck with Neo."

"What exactly does she look like?"

"Think of Neapolitan ice cream and you'll know when you see her."

"Alright then, if she's close to Roman, I want you to find her, and keep an eye on her. She's too dangerous to be wandering around Vale unattended."

"My thoughts exactly." Red snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Reappearing in an empty alley in Vale, Red sighed. _Okay, I just have to find Neo, and watch her. Good thing I don't need eyes to know where she is. _Red walked out of the alleyway, and began wandering the city. After a few minutes, Red sniffed the air. _There she is. _Red picked up his pace to a light jog. Eventually, Red saw her, sitting in a café. _Of course. _Red entered the café, and once Neo saw him, she waved him over. Red sighed, then sat next to her. "Hello Neo. It's good to see you." Neo made a series of complicated hand gestures. "I've been doing fine, aside from this." Red brought his right arm up, and rolled back the sleeve just enough for Neo to see. More gestures from Neo. "Well, I woke up in a forest, talked to Cinder for a minute, then I tried to take on a thousand Grimm."

"Hello there, can I take your order?" A waitress asked.

Red looked over to Neo, who was gesturing. "She'll take the special, and water. I'll just have some coffee, black." The waitress left, and Red sighed. "You know, it's times like these where I wish we weren't on opposing sides in a fight neither of us want to happen." Neo made an especially long series of gestures. "Yeah, I know, it's just…there are times when I wish I was able to protect everyone. Even if they don't deserve it." More gestures. "Yeah. I try to see the good in everybody, even if there is none." Red sighed yet again. "I suppose it's the way I am. And I don't think that I'll change any time soon." Neo tilted her head slightly, and gestures quizzically. "Well, people _can _change, it's just a process that either takes years, or a severely traumatic experience. And seeing as how I've lived as long as I have, I don't think it's possible for me to change anymore. I'm the person that I want to be."

Then, the waitress came back with a mug of coffee, and a glass of water. "Your food will be out shortly."

Red mumbled his thanks as he took a sip of the scalding beverage. "So, Neo, what kind of person do_ you _want to be?" Neo tilted her head back in thought before gesturing. "Really? Looks like we have more in common than I thought." Neo smiled, and gestured. "Okay, I'm going to pretend that I didn't understand that." Red took another sip while Neo gestured, causing Red to cough. "Dammit Neo, we're in public. Could you at least wait until we're someplace that isn't full of people?" Red sighed. "Anyway, how have you been?"


	7. Allies and Enemies

Chapter 7

Allies and Enemies

Red walked out of the cafe with a slight blush. "You know, Neo, people are going to get the wrong idea of you keep this up." Red lifted his hand, which was being held by Neo. "Honestly, sometimes I feel like you're coming onto me." Neo only smiled. Red sighed. "So, where are we going?"

_**Ten minutes later**_

"You live in an apartment?" Red looked at the building in front of him with a raised brow. Neo nodded. "Huh, I was expecting something a little more…flashy." Red shrugged. "Eh, I'm not right about everything." As the two made their way to the top floor of the building, Red noticed that Neo hadn't stopped smiling. "So, are you going to actually tell me what we're here for?" Neo shook her head. Red sighed. "Of course not." Once they were standing outside of the apartment, Neo unlocked it, and opened it. Red's eyes widened when he saw something he thought had been reduced to ashes. "Is this what I think it is?" Red walked over to the item in question, and looked to Neo, who nodded happily. "You actually kept it." Red picked up the instrument that he had carried for the past decade. The guitar looked like it had never been touched. "I didn't think it would mean that much to you." Then, Red began to play the instrument. "Damn, this brings back a lot of memories. Especially the one of when we first met." Red smiled. "I just kept playing this thing, even when I was dodging all of those bullets." Red chuckled.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Vale Community Park- 2 years ago<br>_**

_Red walked through the park, with the guitar strapped to his back. Red spotted a familiar face among those who were sitting by the fountain. Red sighed, and made his way to his friend. "Roman, what the hell are you doing here?"  
><em>

_The man Red had addressed turned, and smiled. "Ah! Red, how good it is to see you again. I would like you to meet a new friend of mine. Red, this is Neo, my new bodyguard. Neo, this is Red, an old friend of mine." Roman stepped to the side, and Red noticed the young girl._

_"Wait, _she's _your bodyguard?"_

_"Yes she is, and I'm pretty sure that you'll find her to be very difficult to fight, given her Semblance."_

_"What exactly is her Semblance?"_

_"Illusions."_

_"What?" Red leaned to get a closer look at the girl. "She looks harmless."_

_"One of the things I'm counting on. No one will think that she can kick their ass, so they won't give her any attention. Then, she'll move in for the kill, figuratively speaking, of course."_

_Red noticed the girls eyes kept changing color. One was pink, and the other was brown. When she blinked, they switched colors. "She makes my head hurt. I'm not sure if I like her."_

_Roman looked past Red, and his eyes widened. "Well, now would be a perfect opportunity to see what she's capable of." Red turned, and saw five Huntsmen making their way to Roman._

_"Dammit, how the hell did they follow me? Eh, I guess it doesn't matter. I'll handle this." Red reached for the guitar, and began to play._

_(Johnny Cash- I Won't Back Down)_

_The Huntsmen looked confused as Red began to play. "Well I won't back down. No, I won't back down." One of the Huntsmen rushed at Red, weapon at the ready. Red kicked the man just before he reached Red. The Huntsman fell. "You can stand me up, at the gates of hell, but I won't back down." Another Huntsman rushed Red, and Red turned, and stuck his foot out, causing the Huntsman to fall, and hit his face on the ground, knocking him out cold. "Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around." The three remaining Huntsmen began to fire their weapons at Red. "And I'll keep this world from dragging me down, gonna stand my ground, and I won't back down." Red dodged the Dust rounds, and began to charge at the Huntsmen. "Hey~, baby, there ain't no easy way out. Hey~, I will stand my ground, and I won't back down." Red made his way to the first Huntsman, and kicked him in the face, and the Huntsman dropped like a rock. "Well I know what's right, I got just one life." Red knocked the weapon out of another Huntsman's hand, and kicked him square in the stomach. "In a world that keeps on pushing me around, but I stand my ground, and I won't back down." Before Red could reach the last Huntsman, he turned, and kicked what Red saw as air. Then Red saw Neo get knocked to the ground. "Hey~ baby, there ain't no easy way out. Hey~, I will stand my ground, and I won't back down." Red made his way to the Huntsman, who was too distracted to realize that Red was right behind him. Red delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of the man's head. The man dropped to the ground. "No, I won't back down." Red finished playing on his guitar._

_"As always, you never fail to impress me, Red."_

_Red strung the guitar over his back again. "Right." Red helped Neo to her feet. "Are you alright?" Neo nodded, but didn't say anything._

* * *

><p>Red smiled. "Yep, that was one hell of a day." Red began to play the guitar. "You know, when I first got this thing, I couldn't play it to save my life. After a few years of practice, I was actually decent. And each day, I kept playing. Sometimes, when I was alone, it was all I would do. Just strum the strings of this old guitar. It helped me keep my sanity a few times. Eventually, after playing for years, and killing Grimm in my free time, people began to call me 'Death's Musician'. It really does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Red chuckled. "Anyway, there was a point in time where I fought and played the guitar at the same time. Man, the fear in a Grimm's eyes when they heard the strum of the strings. They knew that they were looking Death in the face. But they didn't go down without a fight. They never did." Red sighed as his playing slowed. "Me and this guitar, we've been through a lot. Hell, I damn near died just to get this thing back at one point." Red's playing slowed to a stop. "I couldn't think of a better gift to give to you and Roman. I'm glad that you treated it kindly."<p>

Red set the guitar back where he saw it. "So, Roman got caught?" Neo frowned, and nodded. "Great. Too bad I can't bust him out this time." Neo raised a brow. "Well, for starters, I have no idea where he even is. Second, he brought those Grimm to Vale. Third, I'm teaching at Beacon. And finally, I would become a wanted criminal for breaking the bastard out of whatever cell he's currently residing in." Red sighed as he sat on the couch that was placed against the wall. "I really want to help him out, Neo, I really do. I just can't." Red pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes, and stretched his body to take a nap. "Well, I'll be sleeping if you want to ask me anything. I'm really tired now." Red heard the Neo walk over to Red, and then he felt her straddle his waist. "Neo, I'm tired, not tense. There's a difference." Red could actually see the pout on Neo's face as she slid off of him. "Honestly, try to get that libido of yours under control, Neo." Red sighed, then frowned. "But in all seriousness, I think you need to see a psychiatrist about that. I think you may have some mental issues." Red then hesitantly lifted the brim of him hat to look at Neo. "Uh, never mind. Just forget I said anything after the words 'there's a difference.'"

Red then pulled the brim back down, and began to sleep.

**_Thirty minutes later_**

Red's eyes snapped open. There was a knock on Neo's door. _Who the bloody hell could that be? _Red slid off the couch and onto his feet, walked over to the door, and opened it. Red's eyes widened. "Roman? How the hell did you get here?"

"Well, I walked."

"No, how the fuck did you get out of prison?"

"Oh please, when has a prison been able to hold me?"

"Well, there was that one back in-"

"Shh, not a word about that."

"Fine. So, _how _in the literal hell did you get out?"

"Just a little slight of hand, a few calls, and...voila!"

Red deadpanned. "Cinder had to bust you out, didn't she?"

"Please don't tell anyone."

Red made his way back to the couch. "Whatever, I'm going back to sleep." Red laid down, and shut his eyes. "If anything comes up, wake me." Then, Red fell asleep.

_**An hour later**_

Red woke up to the sound of glass shattering. _I swear Roman, if you managed to piss her off already._


	8. Mistakes We've All Made Some

Chapter 8

Mistakes; We've All Made Some

_**An hour later**_

Red walked through the streets of Vale, wandering in no particular direction. _Good lord, I have absolutely nothing to do. _Red sighed. As he walked, Red could feel something watching him. Glancing around, Red was unable to shake the feeling off. _I may just be paranoid. _Red paused at a dark alley. Peering into the darkness, Red saw two amber eyes gazing at him. Sighing, Red made his way into the dark alley. "Blake, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking up on you."

"Checking up on me? What are you, my life partner?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh...so you remember that?"

"It would be hard to forget."

"True. It was pretty mind blowing." Red smiled, a slight blush on his cheeks. "But, I don't think that this can work out."

"Why?"

"First off; I'm a teacher. Second; just think of how old I am. Third; you're a student, and I'm sure I'll get fired if this comes to the light with anyone."

"Then we'll make sure that nobody finds out."

Red's eye twitched. "Blake, you can't be serious." Blake only smiled, and hugged Red. "You're actually serious about this...alright then." Red returned the hug, his blush deepening. "You know that we'll have to tell people about this eventually, right?"

"Eventually."

Red closed his eyes. _There is no doubt in my mind that this is going to come back to bite me in the ass. _As the two embraced each other, Red felt another presence. Opening his eyes and looking over his shoulder, Red saw Roman and Neo, smiling. Red's eye twitched again. 'Leave', Red mouthed.

Roman grinned, and shook his head. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Red swore under his breath. "Great..." Blake stood at Red's side, and glared at Roman. "Roman, what the hell do you want this time?"

"Oh, nothing much. I'm just dropping by and checking in. Besides, Kitty over here and I have unfinished business."

Red took a step forward. "And it will remained unfinished. Now leave, unless you're willing to go back to prison."

"Hm, are you able to back up that claim?"

"Yes, and I will, if you don't leave us. Roman, I don't want to fight you."

"And you won't have to. Neo." Then, Neo charged at Red.

Red swore under his breath again as Neo began to attack Red. "Blake, you finish your business with that bastard. I have this under control." Red ducked under one of Neo's kicks, and, planting both hands on the ground, launched his feet. Neo managed to bring her parasol in time to push Red's feet away.

_I really don't want to do this. _Red sighed as he landed on his feet. He had no choice. Effortlessly dodging Neo's attacks, Red kicked her back. Neo fell, appearing defenseless. Red waited for her to get back up. Pouting, Neo got back to her feet, and dusted herself off. _It's going to take more than a kick to keep her down. _Red began walking toward Neo, cracking his knuckles along the way.

"Oof!" Neo turned when she heard the sound of Roman's getting the wind knocked out of him. Seeing his chance, Red snapped his fingers, and appeared behind Neo as she was turning back to the spot where Red stood a moment before. Red drew his fist back, and just as she was turning again, Red punched her in the stomach, sending her back a few meters.

Neo clutched her stomach, and coughed a few times. _God dammit, why do I have to do this? _Red unconsciously took a step forward in worry, then remembered that she was his enemy. Shaking his head, Red took another step, this time without any emotion. Suddenly, Red felt something tug at his shoulder. Looking down slightly, Red saw the handle of Roman's cane. Eyes widening, Red yanked it up, and yanked again, pulling Roman off of his feet.

Red heard a sound similar to that of a sword being unsheathed. Turning, Red saw that Neo had unsheathed the blade from her parasol. Sighing, Red let go of the handle of Roman's cane. _Looks like things just got serious. _Red snapped his fingers, and the dark blade formed in Red's right hand from smoke. Pointing his weapon at Neo, Red looked at her with pleading eyes. _Don't do this. Please. _But Neo only readied her weapon in response.

Sighing, Red lunged toward Neo. She mimicked Red's movement. The blades clashed, sparks flying around the two. Then, Red went on the offensive. Slashing and spinning, Red was able to scratch Neo a few times. Then, Neo parried, sending Red's blade away. Neo brought her blade to Red's throat. Red leaped back, and charged. Neo blinked, and her eyes switched colors. Red stopped in his tracks. _Shit. _Then, the world began to fade to darkness. Clutching his head, Red's eyes began to change. They were beginning to become the same as that of the Grimm. _No. _Red closed his eyes. _I'm still fighting Neo. Just have to focus my aura to the point where her Semblance can't affect me. _Slowly, Red's body began to get enveloped with an aura that was pitch black. At the same time, the world began to come back. Red was on the ground, his sword held tightly in his hand. Neo was walking toward Blake, who had knocked Roman out cold. From the looks of things, Red knew that Blake wouldn't be able to beat Neo.

Red was then enveloped in a pitch black aura as he got to his feet. As he got up, he looked more like a silhouette than anything. Neo shivered, then turned to face Red, her eyes wide. With each step it seemed like the area around Red got darker. Red could see that Neo was shaking. Neo could barely hold onto her weapon. As soon as Red was in range, he swatted Neo's weapon aside, disarming her. Walking past her, Red glanced at Blake, who's eyes had widened slightly. "Blake, we're heading back to Beacon." Slowly, Red's aura began to fade.

"What!? We can't just go back without these two!"

"We can, and we will. I owe them my life. This is me repaying that favor." Red snapped his fingers, and the black blade in his hand dissipated into smoke. "Come on." Red kept walking without so much as a glance.

**_Half an hour later_**

"So, would you mind telling me what the hell that was?"

Red glanced at Blake. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The thing with your aura."

"Oh. Well, it's complicated." Red looked at the sky. "My aura is...different...from others."

"I noticed."

"When I focus it, it completely covers me in only a few seconds. And it just happens to be one of the auras that's frowned upon. For good reason." Red sighed. "Those who have black auras are dangerously close to becoming like the Grimm. They only want to fight. And they are immensely powerful. And they only want to get stronger." Red sighed. "They don't care about their own well-being. They only care about winning. Even if it means dying in the process." Red looked around. "You know, I didn't always have a black aura. It used to be silver."

"What happened?"

Red's eyes narrowed. "I died. And made a deal. One that has given me a _lot _of time to think about things."

"Wait, you...died?"

"Yes, I also met Death. And I went straight to hell. Where I met the devil, and made a deal with him. In return for immortality and power, he would take my soul."

"But, when, and how, did you die?"

"Remember when I told you about the first time I lost control? I wasn't being entirely honest. I died along with my friends." Red sighed again. "But, looking back, if I was able to, I wouldn't change that fact. In all the time that I've been alive, I've seen Remnant change again and again. Besides, I was able to get my soul back. Good thing too, otherwise I'd be like the Grimm. Attacking whatever I saw." Red sighed again. "Anyway, throughout my life, I've made friends and enemies. And no matter how hard they try, I always outlive them. It hurts, thinking about the friends I'll never be able to see again. But that's the price I have to pay, if it means keeping Remnant safe." Red sighed once again. "I've been in more wars than I care to remember. And all of them have been against the Grimm. I've watched men die in horrible ways. Hell, if I wasn't immortal, I'd be dead a million times over."

"I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"The friends you made, do you ever think about them?"

Red closed his eyes. "There isn't a day that goes by without me thinking of them. But, I've moved on. I'd rather lose them than have Remnant destroyed." Red opened his eyes. "And if I have to, I will give my life to keep this world safe."


End file.
